Roasted soy nuts are packed with fiber, protein, and minerals, making them the ultimate healthy snack. Roasted and salted to perfection, they're the perfect addition to tofu flower(douhua), trail mix, salads, and as enjoyed alone as beer nuts. We’ll show you two cooking methods: roasted and fried.
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Background, Cooking Options, and Uses
What are Soy Nuts?
As you may have suspected, roasted soy nuts aren’t actually nuts. Soy nuts are soybeans that have been roasted or fried and take on a crunch similar to nuts. Soy nuts are a legume and in the same family as peas and lentils. The U.S. and Brazil are by far the largest producers of soybeans in the world. You can read more about soybeans in our post about different types of tofu.
Nutritional Value
Soybeans are packed with fiber, protein, and anti-oxidant compounds. In fact, they contain about 35%-55% protein! This makes them the perfect plant-based protein source to either replace or substitute for animal sources.
Cooking options
Soy nuts can be made by roasting or frying soybeans. We rigorously tested both methods so you can know which is the best option. Both methods require going low (temperature) and slow (time). In the end, we prefer the oven roasted method because the final product is less oily, and cooking is a bit more hands off. Both options allow you to make your soy nuts crunchy or slightly chewy. We prefer ours with the perfect mix of crunch and chewiness, so we cook them slightly less. Extending the cooking time will give you very crunch soy nuts, if that’s your preference, but you have to carefully watch them so they do not get overcooked.
🧂 Seasoning
We usually season roasted soy nuts with only a little salt because we add them as a topping on tofu flower (douhua), but there are endless options for seasoning. You could add mala (spicy and numbing) seasoning, which we are huge fan of, or a little chipotle and black pepper.
Uses
Mix with other nuts and seeds, add to trail mix, use as a healthy substitute for croutons, or add to stir-fried vegetables for a protein packed crunch. These are perfect for calming your snack attack guilt free.
🥘 Ingredients
Gather all ingredients before starting.
- Soybeans – dried raw soybeans can be purchased at many Chinese, Korean, and Japanese markets. We also buy non-GMO soybeans on Amazon. You will need to wash and soak the dried soybeans for 10-12 hours.
- Cooking oil – For our roasted soy nuts we like to use olive oil, but you can use any oil that you prefer. You can even use olive oil if you opt to fry them since they are fried at a low temperature.
- Salt
See recipe card for quantities.
📖 Instructions
Soak and Drain (for both roasted and fried methods)
Step 1: Place the dried soybeans in a large bowl or pot and cover with approximately 3 cups of water. The beans will expand so add enough water that the beans will not be exposed after they expand. Soak the dried soybeans in cold water for 10-12 hours. We usually soak our beans before going to bed and then they are ready to use the next day.
Step 2: Drain the soaked soybeans and then spread them on a pan lined with paper towels to dry. For the frying method, you want the beans to be as dry as possible so the water does not splatter in the oil.
Oven Roasted Method
This is the method we prefer.
Step 1: Preheat oven to 325°F / 162°C.
Step 2: Add the soaked soybeans to a bowl and add approximately 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and salt to taste. Stir to evenly coat the soybeans with the oil and salt.
Step 3: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (so the soybeans don’t stick). Add the soybeans onto the lined baking sheet and spread-out evening so they are in a single layer.
Step 4: Place the pan in the oven and roast for 30-45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to encourage even browning. There is a wide cooking time range due to variations in bean sizes and depending on how long the beans were soaked. Once the soybeans are browned and reach your desired level of crispiness, they are finished – now time for guilt free snacking!
Step 5: Allow the soy nuts to cool completely before placing in an airtight container.
Frying Method
This is a good method if you don’t have an oven, or if you are just in the mood to fry something.
Step 1: Line a baking sheet with paper towels. The soy nuts will be transferred to the paper towel lined baking sheet after cooking to cool and drain the oil.
Step 2: Place the soybeans in a cold wok or large pan with high enough sides to contain the oil. Pour enough oil into the wok to barely cover the soybeans.
Step 3: Turn the stove on medium heat. When the soybeans start to simmer in the oil, turn the heat to medium-low. Using a cooking thermometer, try to keep the temperature around 240°F / 115°C. Remember, low and slow to avoid burning your soy nuts.
Step 4: Cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring every few minutes to ensure they are cooking evenly. Once the soybeans are browned and reach your desired level of crispiness they are finished. You can use chopsticks or tongs to remove a couple of beans from the wok and taste (after cooling) to see if they are crispy. They should be a little crispy with a slight chewiness. You can cook them longer if you prefer very crispy soy nuts, but be careful not to burn them (or yourself!).
Step 5: Remove the soy nuts from the wok using a mesh skimmer and place them on the paper towel lined sheet pan. Sprinkle with salt or your desired seasoning while they are still hot to ensure the seasoning sticks.
Step 6: Allow the soy nuts to cool completely before placing in an airtight container.
Hint: If you want your soy nuts to cook quicker, you can turn the temperature on your oven up to 350-375°F (175-190°C), but you will need to watch them more closely to make sure they do not overcook.
Substitutions and Variations
Chipotle – while we prefer simple salt or mala (spicy and numbing) flavors from Sichuan, you can add any seasonings that you like. Try adding chipotle seasoning or any of your favorite flavor combinations.
🔪 Equipment
- Wok or heavy high sided pan
- Mesh skimmer
- Sheet pan
- Parchment paper
- Paper towels
Storage
Keep soy nuts in an airtight container for up to one month, although they will start to lose their crispiness after a few days.
💭 Top tip
Remember, go low and slow. If you bake or fry at too high of a temperature you will end up with burned and bitter nuts.
📖 Recipe
Roast Soy Nuts
Ingredients
- 7 ounces dried soybeans approximately 1 cup
- 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil (for roasting) if frying you'll need enough to cover the soybeans
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Soak and Drain (for both roasted and fried methods)
- Place the dried soybeans in a large bowl or pot and cover with approximately 3 cups of water. The beans will expand so add enough water that the beans will not be exposed after they expand. Soak the dried soybeans in cold water for 10-12 hours. We usually soak our beans before going to bed and then they are ready to use the next day.7 ounces dried soybeans
- Drain the soaked soybeans and then spread them on a pan lined with paper towels to dry. For the frying method, you want the beans to be as dry as possible so the water does not splatter in the oil.7 ounces dried soybeans
Oven Roasted (the method we prefer)
- Preheat oven to 325°F / 162°C.
- Add the soaked soybeans to a bowl and add approximately 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and salt to taste. Stir to evenly coat the soybeans with the oil and salt.7 ounces dried soybeans, 1 teaspoon salt, 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil (for roasting)
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (so the soybeans don’t stick). Add the soybeans onto the lined baking sheet and spread-out evening so they are in a single layer.
- Place the pan in the oven and roast for 30-45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to encourage even browning. There is a wide cooking time range due to variations in bean sizes and depending on how long the beans were soaked. Once the soybeans are browned and reach your desired level of crispiness, they are finished – now time for guilt free snacking!
- Allow the soy nuts to cool completely before placing in an airtight container.
Alternative Cooking Method: Frying Instructions (good method if you don’t have an oven)
- Line a baking sheet with paper towels. The soy nuts will be transferred to the paper towel lined baking sheet after cooking to cool and drain the oil.
- Place the soybeans in a cold wok or large pan with high enough sides to contain the oil. Pour enough oil into the wok to barely cover the soybeans.7 ounces dried soybeans
- Turn the stove on medium heat. When the soybeans start to simmer in the oil, turn the heat to medium-low. Using a cooking thermometer, try to keep the temperature around 240°F / 115°C. Remember, low and slow to avoid burning your soy nuts.
- Cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring every few minutes to ensure they are cooking evenly. Once the soybeans are browned and reach your desired level of crispiness they are finished. You can use chopsticks or tongs to remove a couple of beans from the wok and taste (after cooling) to see if they are crispy. They should be a little crispy with a slight chewiness. You can cook them longer if you prefer very crispy soy nuts, but be careful not to burn them (or yourself!).
- Remove the soy nuts from the wok using a mesh skimmer and place them on your paper towel lined sheet pan. Sprinkle with salt or your desired seasoning while they are still hot to ensure the seasoning sticks.1 teaspoon salt, 7 ounces dried soybeans
- Allow the soy nuts to cool completely before placing in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Nutrition disclaimer
malaeats.com is created for informational purposes only. Although we do our best to provide nutritional information to our readers as a general guideline, we are not certified nutritionists and the nutritional values provided should be considered estimates. Numerous factors such as variations in fresh ingredients, brands purchased, etc. will alter the nutritional values in any recipe. Different online calculators also provide different results depending on their sources. To obtain accurate nutritional information for a recipe, please use your preferred nutrition calculator to determine nutritional information with the actual ingredients and quantities you used.
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C).
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods (less than 2 hours is recommended by the CDC).
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove.
See more guidelines at the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention website.
Kathy Zhang
I’m so glad that I found the recipe for the soy nuts online. Simple to follow yet delicious. I enjoyed looking at the photos of the whole process with detailed descriptions.
Mala Eats Family
Glad you enjoyed the photos. Let us know if there are any other recipes you would like to see. Take care!